Jarek nodded and crept toward the bank, wondering what he was supposed to do if he saw something. He had a knife, but surely, she didn’t expect him to use it. He moved haltingly, a few steps at a time, then pausing. The dying light made it trickier. He began to see shapes and movements everywhere.
He had just crossed the stream and started into a thicket of smaller trees when the brush erupted. A small figure bounded out of the thicket, running full tilt to the right. Jarek tried to give chase but tripped over a log and fell. By the time he righted himself, the forest was still. He renewed the pursuit but had only gone a few meters when he found the man, locked firmly in a neckhold by CeCe.
Chapter 37: Ebon Hills
Only it was not a small man. It was the boy, Bart’s son… who was not Bart’s son. He writhed in an apparent attempt to free himself.
CeCe held him from behind, one arm around his neck and the other holding a dagger at his throat. “Be still or you will find yourself with a nasty gash in your neck.”
The boy relaxed, but his eyes continued to dart around wildly, as though searching for salvation.
Jarek stared. This was the creature who had caused him so much grief. He had spied on Virgil’s squad as they had converged on the inn that day. He had watched Jarek, Burns, and Ratio as they left town on their way back to the rebel camp. Who knew how many deaths resulted from this thing? His first reaction was that they should just kill the boy and be done with it.
But guilt quickly replaced the anger. He remembered what CeCe had told him. Bart lured kids into these circumstances. He watched and waited.
CeCe relaxed her hold ever so slightly. “That’s better. Keep your wits about you, and I promise that no harm will come to you. What’s your name?”
Silence. The look of desperation on the boy’s face turned to one of suspicion. He appeared to be considering his options.
“It’s not a complicated question. I just want to know what to call you, that’s all.”
“Ben.” The name came out soft, filled with resignation.
“That’s a start. And your surname, Ben?”
“Just Ben.”
“And what of your family?”
“I don’t have a family.”
CeCe relaxed her hold a little more. “Very well, Ben with no family. We’re going to walk, very slowly, back toward our camp. You know, the one where you were spying on us. You’ll be safe so long as you don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
The boy nodded, and the three of them crept, step-by-step, toward the gathering by the stream. A scant ten minutes later, they emerged from the brush to stand before the assembled party. CeCe addressed the group, “Everyone, this is Ben. Ben, this is, well, of course you know who we are. Have a seat.” She nodded toward her pack. “Get the lad something to eat and some water.”
They ate in silence for a few moments before Jarek moved to CeCe’s side. “What are we going to do with him?”
“For starters, we will talk to him, I think. After that, well, I guess we’ll have to see how that goes before deciding anything else.” She stood beside the boy. “We’ll be moving shortly. But before we get started, I have a few questions for you.”
Ben didn’t react. He stared at her as though he hadn’t even heard.
“Your master, Bartholomew, I believe he is called, where is he?”
The boy shrugged and tore off another piece of meat with his teeth, chewing slowly.
“He’s not your friend, you know. In fact, he doesn’t care about you other than making sure that if you’re not working for him, you’re not alive. He’s not going to save you.”
When the lad spoke, the words came out sounding like something a disillusioned adult would utter. “And you are my friends, right? You’ll take care of me?”
“The difference between the little group that you see here and the king’s men, with whom you are used to dealing, is that we don’t go around killing innocent people. I could have dispatched you back in the woods had I wanted to. Instead, I am asking for your help.”
Jarek had never heard CeCe talk like this. Her words came out calm, almost kind. And yet they left no doubt as to her seriousness.
“And if I choose not to help you?” Ben seemed emboldened.
“I don’t know. I mean, your usefulness to Master Bart is clearly at an end. You failed in your mission to track us and report back. How do you think he will take that news? Is he an understanding master?”
Jarek was struck by the familiarity of these words. They were strikingly similar to what Commander West had said to CeCe the day she had betrayed him. He watched West for a moment. She nodded subtly as she took in the conversation.
“And if I do help you?”
“Like I said, if you choose to throw your lot in with ours, we will treat you fairly. But make no mistake, you will have to prove yourself. In your case, trust will have to be earned.”
The boy nodded and looked down for a moment. “I don’t know where Bart is right now.”
“Then how were you going to report back to him?”
“I was supposed to follow you. Once you got to where you were going, I was to return to his stead at Ebon Lake. Other than that, I don’t know anything. He doesn’t tell me what he’s doing.”
Jarek could hear the truth in those words. He recalled the time they had spent with Bart. The affable man had fed them, listened to them, and laughed with them, luring them into a sense of safety. This young boy was as much a victim as anyone. He spoke to the lad for the first time, “You said you don’t have a family. What happened to them?”
Ben raised his head and stared at Jarek for a moment. “Don’t know. One day they were just gone. They were working in the field, but they dint come back.”
Jarek wondered out loud, “So, are we going to go after this Bart guy? I know where his house is.”
CeCe shook her head. “No. At the moment, he is of no consequence. We have taken his eyes, so he is blind. We need to get to the ruins. The commander needs help. And we must get Rona and the children to safety. After that, we can decide how best to proceed.”
Jarek caught West’s smile, barely visible in the growing darkness.
Chapter 38: Ebon Hills
“Hold up.” Brother Martin touched CeCe on the shoulder. Daylight was fast approaching. The third night had brought the group to within two hours of the old monastery.
CeCe turned to the group. “Let’s take a break—ten minutes. Then we push on. I want to make the ruins today rather than waiting.” She turned her attention back to Martin. “What is it?”
The brother glanced over at Ben, who had been trekking just ahead of the family. He pulled CeCe farther away from the group and spoke in a voice so low that Jarek had trouble making out the words. “What are we going to do about him?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we can’t allow him down in the caverns. He’s an informer for the king. We can’t trust him.” Martin seemed uneasy, shuffling his feet as he spoke.
“And what would you have us do with him?”
“I don’t know. I just know we can’t trust him.”
CeCe shook her head. “I have to say, that answer is not terribly helpful. You say we can’t take him down. And yet we can’t trust him, which means we can’t let him go. What would you suggest, that we just kill him?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying….” He didn’t finish the words.
Jarek felt an unusual surge of courage. He approached the pair. “You can’t kill him and, as you said, you can’t trust him, so you can’t let him go. The only other option is to take him with us.”
“No. I have a responsibility to the brotherhood. To take him down there is to risk all of their lives. We’ll just have to think of something else.” He folded his arms on his chest and stood eye-to-eye with CeCe.
Jarek inserted himself between the two, facing CeCe. “Can I speak with him?”
She nodded and stepped back, but not completely away.
/>
The Azyrean turned to the brother. “I understand what you’re saying. After all, he’s the one that helped get us thrown in the dungeon. But think about it. What she’s saying is right. We don’t have a lot of choices here. And remember, you trusted your family to the rebels. A lot of my friends died making sure that they got out safely. I know that you have a responsibility to the brotherhood. But there are other things going on here. We have people over in Crystal Sands, possibly fighting and dying for us. CeCe has guided us cross country at night, making sure that we all were safe.” He nodded toward Ben. “Killing him is not in you. I know that, too. It is not who you are. It is not who any of us are.” He shrugged and forced a chuckle. “Besides, at least if we keep him with us, we can watch him.”
Martin stared with steely eyes at Jarek for a moment before turning away without speaking.
“Very eloquently put, Jarek.” CeCe put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
◆◆◆
“I am relieved to see you all return safely.” Magnus offered a smile and cast a sideways glance at Ben. “All of you.”
Brother Magnus then asked Corny and Ben to do a task for him and, once they were gone from the room, he continued, “So, now that we’re all here together, what is next?”
Commander West shifted uneasily in her chair. “Without knowing how things are going in Crystal Sands, there is little we can do. Keeping this place secret and ensuring its defense and safety has to be our highest priority.”
CeCe responded, “I agree, although I think there could be more to that than we know. Young Ben was following us when we found him. We don’t know how much he knows or, rather, how much his former master knows. I suggest that, before we make any hard decisions, we speak with the lad.”
Magnus stroked his beard. “And can we trust what he says?”
West jumped in. “I think so. I agree that we should question him. I propose that CeCe and Jarek undertake that task.”
West and CeCe exchanged glances. Jarek got the distinct impression that the idea took CeCe by surprise. But something puzzled him. “Why me? After all, I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing.”
The commander shrugged. “Simply put, you are inquisitive. You ask questions in such a way that it forces thought. If young Ben is trying to deceive, I suspect you will spot it. CeCe, of course, is an experienced interrogator. But your observation, I think, will prove invaluable.”
◆◆◆
Jarek settled into the chair, his hands in his lap, and prepared to watch and listen. Ben held a cup of nectar in one hand and a piece of sweet oat cake in the other as he eyed CeCe with apparent suspicion.
“I trust that you’ve been comfortable here.” CeCe took a seat across the table from the boy.
He nodded and took a drink without speaking.
“I have some questions for you. My hope is that you will be able to help us. Our goal is to remain safe here. It goes without saying that, if we are safe, you will be as well. If, on the other hand, we are compromised, there is a better than even chance that you will suffer the same fate as us.”
“Okay.” Ben seemed less than convinced.
“You were following us. What did Bart expect you to learn?”
“I don’t know. He just told me to follow the little man with the ears.” He nodded toward Jarek. “I was going to go back and report when he got to the ruins of that old mansion. But then I saw the fight with you and the king’s assassins. So, I watched a little longer, and then you started walking again, so I followed you.”
It sounded right to Jarek. He nodded to CeCe without comment.
“So, tell me, Ben, how much does Bart know about this place.”
The boy laughed. “Everyone knows about this place. Well, not down here, but about the ruins. The king don’t allow nobody to come here. And besides, it’s haunted, you know.”
That made sense. Even the rebels knew that the old monastery was off-limits to all citizens. And the haunted aspect made it even better.
“But you would have followed us into the ruins up there, even though it’s haunted?”
He shrugged. “I don’t got no choice. I have to do what he tells me or….” He didn’t finish the sentence, although the meaning was clear.
“So, as far as Bart knows, you’re just somewhere out there in Ebon Hills following us, is that right?”
“Yep.”
“And if you went back and told him we were in a certain place, what would he do?”
“That’s easy. He’d be sending me to the king’s outpost with a note.”
“And he wouldn’t come to check it out himself?”
“Heck no. He don’t go nowhere.”
Jarek scratched his ear. “Hmmm. Interesting. I have an idea.”
Chapter 39: Crystal Sands
Marzi’s world once again turned dark. If the spirit of Nelwyn was to be believed, peace between the three elven leaders seemed to be at risk. Although she didn’t mention a name, the Azyrean knew in her heart about whom the ghost spoke—Saige.
If ever she needed to talk to someone, to pour out her heart and ask for counsel, this was the time. But there was no one. She couldn’t go to either of the other elven leaders. They would say what they always did—they cannot control the actions of others. And, in truth, they had made a pact that allowed all three of the elven groups to decide for themselves.
Her friends, Rys and Elle, had gone with the humans. Maw’thryn, well, he was back at the Bough, and, as nice as he was, it was unlikely that he’d be able to offer any real comfort. Lord Rintaur—that’s who she needed to speak with. Unfortunately, he also remained in the Bough as the empress’ liaison while she was in Crystal Sands.
Marzi was alone, even more so than the night she arrived on that world. She thought about calling out to Valyn, but something told her that this was one of those things she was supposed to solve herself.
“That is true, Marzi.” The scent of jasmine, lilac, and lemon filled the air.
Valyn?
“Yes, my child. I am here only for a moment. I come to confirm for you that, yes, you must find your way on this matter. But you are right to seek counsel. By now, you should know that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Your instincts serve you well. The elven leaders and the humans will be of little assistance, despite the fact that their hearts are good. But do not despair. Help has a way of turning up when and where least expected. You have only to take advantage of it.”
Despite her joy at the visit of the goddess, Marzi wanted to shout in frustration. Valyn had not really told her any more than she already knew.
“You are right. I have not.”
I hate it when you do that—read my mind.
Valyn’s laugh was soft, imbued with love and delight. “You are stronger than you think. I have told you that before. I tell you again. I am with you always, my child.”
Marzi wanted to respond but knew that the goddess was gone.
◆◆◆
The next morning dawned crisp and clear. The air, certainly not cold by Quel’dethain Mountain standards, was chilly enough to require a cloak. She shivered as she emerged from her tent and strolled across the compound toward the cooking fire.
Ogres were beginning to break their fast. They had remained apart from the elves, not hostile but certainly not chummy. They had treated her with kindness and respect and, as far as she knew, Tovi had a good relationship with them. The humans, small band that they were, had also remained apart from the elves. It struck Marzi that the entire arrangement was an uneasy peace. The thought of facing Dredwyn’s armies under these conditions weighed on her heart.
And then there was the issue with Saige. It had been only two days since the leader of the cliff elves had suggested negotiating with Dredwyn. Although she had clearly been upset at being rebuffed, nothing had come of it. But there was something. Marzi had seen it in the elf’s eyes. And her conversation with Nelwyn had confirmed it.
The elve
n spirit had told Marzi that confronting Saige directly would not work. What then? She could try and speak with the ogres directly, but what would she tell them that might change their minds? They would more than likely consider her a mere child. To make matters worse, she wasn’t even from this world, nor had she been there for very long—certainly not long enough to forge a relationship with them as Tovi had. She wracked her brain but, in the end, she understood all too well. She would know the answer when she needed it.
As Marzi approached the fire, she noticed or rather felt something. Nothing really looked different. Some elves were cooking or keeping the fires going. Others had assignments to watch or scout the perimeters of their camps. Random words from several of the conversations floated through the air. Nothing out of the ordinary. And yet Marzi had a strange but familiar feeling.
And then she saw it. The flap on the empress’ tent flew back and Lord Rintaur emerged. A smile lit his face when he saw her. “You are looking well this morning, Marzi.” He knelt and put his hand on her shoulder. “How have you been?”
After the shock wore off, she managed to reply, “Uh, I’ve been pretty good. But I thought you were back in the Bough. When did you arrive?”
“I had some affairs to discuss with the empress and was fortunate enough to gain access to a portal.” He chuckled but didn’t elaborate. “But I also had a strong feeling that you might require my assistance.”
Valyn? Did she arrange this? “As a matter of fact, I do. But how did you know?”
“I saw it in a dream.” A smile and then he added, “Come, let us walk.”
◆◆◆
Marzi told him of all that had happened—Dredwyn’s appearance, the minion that had exploded and killed the elven warriors and severely injured Commander Corhymin, the raid on the ogre kraal, and the mission to the mines.
“Much has occurred indeed. But that is not what troubles you.” His words came out as a statement, not a question.
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